3: This Ginger Snap recipe was given to me by my mom's mom, Gramma Heard/Wundrow/Mayo. This is her recipe typed out for me on an ancient typewriter! I received it about 1986 or so, since she was Gramma Wundrow then. Just after Justin was born we went to visit them in Wisconsin and I suspect I got it on that visit! | My Great Aunt Margaret (L) and Gramma Heard (Nana) were twins born December 30, 1911. My dad is in the middle! Gramma outlived two husbands. I have that letterholder hanging in the background! Photo likely taken around 1960. | My Great Aunt Margaret lived in Elkton and we spent weekends in the Thumb of Michigan when I was a child. It seemed so backward to me. I never dreamed I'd live in the area!

4: This is James Heard, my mom's dad. He used to have two bowls of Gramma's Chick-Nood-Dump Soup. He loved it so much that after his first bowl he'd say "Now give me another bowl so I can taste it!" Each bowl was coated with ground pepper! | James Heard April 14, 1906 - November 27, 1973 | Dorothea Margaret, Sheri Lynn, and James CLifford Takacs family photo around 1959

5: Chicken Noodle Dumpling Soup This recipe has never been written down! I learned from my Gramma Heard. Start with chicken stock (that's a long recipe all by itself!) Add chicken meat, large flat noodles, chopped celery, onion and carrots, topped with parsley flakes. To make dumplings, beat 2 or 3 eggs, depending upon how many dumplings you'd like to make. Add about 1/2 cup flour per egg and mix thoroughly., then salt and pepper. Use a long handled teaspoon to make dumplings.....let the spoon sit in the soup to get hot. Then, scoop out some dumpling mix and dip it back into hot soup. Dumpling should float away from spoon If not, get spoon hot again and try again. Dumplings will float for a while, then sink. Dumplings only take a few minutes to cook, then serve! To get great chicken stock or broth, gently boil a whole chicken for about an hour. Skim off any foam. De-bone and chill stock, skimming off fat. Then continue recipe. Keep chicken bullion on hand to complement stock, if needed.

6: Hot Toddy | Hot Toddy is known as an alcoholic beverage, but I found this recipe when the kids were small and it turned out to be a family favorite for winter days!

7: Essian kids were about this age when they first had Hot Toddy...taken about 1994 in our Bliss Street home, Pigeon. | How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. Psalm 119:9 | Justin James Essian June 28, 1986 | Jessi Lynn Essian March 9, 1988 | Katie Lynn Essian December 21, 1989

8: There are tons of frosting recipes, but this seems to be the best tasting and can be saved wonderfully. Just put extra into sealed container in fridge. Revive with a bit of milk once the icing is at room temperature. Got it off a box of confectioner's sugar. | I've used several Peanut Butter cookie recipes, but this one's been around a long time. Got it out of a Skippy peanut butter ad in a magazine

9: We once made 500 lighthouse cookies using this recipe, each with a yellow candy, for a homeschool project! | Great for cut out cookies! | Jessi and Brad 10-1-11

10: I've called this recipe TEXAS SHEET CAKE. It is great to make for a group. You can decorate with sprinkles. Be careful when making frosting - make sure it comes to a boil for a bit (step 7) before adding powdered sugar!

11: You can tell this recipe has been around; those scribbles are from some Essian kid "helping me". Friends of ours in Petoskey made this when they had us over for dinner in 1987. I asked for the recipe! Make CREAM CHEESE FROSTING by adding an 8 oz. package of cream cheese at room temperature, with about 3 cups of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. Beat until smooth, adding a bit of milk, if need be, to attain spreading consistency.

12: FRENCH TOAST The first time I tasted this version of French Toast, I was a young adult living at my Dad’s house and his wife, Debbie, made this for breakfast once. . This recipe will make 6 or 8 slices. Heat your griddle or large sized frying pan to medium with a bit of oil. 2 Eggs mixed with about 1/4 cup of milk. 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp cinnamon 6 – 8 slices bread and chopped nuts, optional Whisk all together in a mixing bowl, then put into a shallow dish so you can dip the bread into it easily. Dip both sides of bread and lay into pan/atop griddle. Top exposed side with chopped nuts. Turn only once, so check underside corner. If it is nice and brown, flip (even with nuts on it) and brown the other side. Serve immediately with butter and syrup. | A wise woman builds her house...Proverbs 14:1

13: TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE This was a regular meal in my home growing up. It is one of those meals that everyone liked, you could make in a short period of time, and it included fish. Some people add other ingredients like peas, nuts, and various chopped veggies like celery or onions or carrots. 1 package noodles, prepared and ready to use 1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 can of Milk (use soup can) 2 cans of Tuna (Optional: crushed potato chips, French’s onion toppers, crushed Ritz Crackers) Mix all ingredients. Judge if you need to add a little more liquid if the mixture is dry; should be sloshy. Top with optional goodies. Bake for 30 45 minutes at 350’. | Me and my mom about 1959. Dorothea Margaret Takacs October 5, 1936 - January 14, 2005 | Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart... Colossians 3:15

14: PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE CAKE One 18.5 oz. white cake mix, any brand is OK One 3 oz. box Pistachio pudding 1 cup Orange Juice, or use the juice from 1 orange, plus water to equal 1 cup 1/2 cup cooking oil, I use cold-press soybean oil 4 eggs 3/4 cup chocolate syrup, Hershey’s is best Combine in mixer, cake mix, pudding mix, OJ, oil and eggs. Once ingredients are moistened, beat at high for 5 minutes. Pour 2/3 of batter into the prepared pan. Mix the 3/4 cup chocolate syrup into the last third of batter. Then pour onto batter in pan, and marble with a butter knife. Bake about 1 hour (350') or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool 20 minutes. Then turn out on cooling rack. Flip over so top is right-side up. Once cool, ice top only with a chocolate buttercream frosting and chopped nuts. | "...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." 2 Peter 3:18

15: I asked my Gramma Takacs for this recipe when I was a young adult. I never made it until I was married and had a family, and my family loved it! She got it in 1970. I use an Angel Food cake pan, but your favorite bundt-type cake pan will work fine. Spray with oil and flour generously. Preheat oven to 350’. | Justin, Great Grampa Takacs, Katie, Jessi | My Grampa and Gramma Takacs at their home in Dearborn, MI. | Alexandria (Slezak) Takacs born February 7, 1913, died on her birthday in 1992 and John Takacs born August 27, 1909 and died August 26, 1995

16: Using a crock pot really makes a roast tender. Slow cook for at least 6 hours; you can slow cook for a really long time and not hurt a roast. You can put the roast in frozen. Sprinkle a package of dried Onion Soup on top, or a can of French Onion Soup. If you don’t have any of that, put about 2 T of beef bullion and sliced fresh or dried onion atop the roast. You can put just salt and pepper on a roast, too, and it will still be delicious. You might want to add your favorite spices. Pour 1 cup of water in the slow cooker. Keep the top on and let it slow-cook all day. You may add carrots and potatoes, too, when you add the meat/spices. A roast turns out great in a pot, casserole dish, or roaster baked in the oven, too. Bake it long and slow, like 325' for 2 hours or more; check it now and then. Add liquid if necessary. | ROAST BEEF | Pat and Sheri Lynn Essian September 9, 1983 | Essian Family Verse Proverbs 3:5 & 6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight.

17: MASHED POTATOES Fill pot with enough water to cover potatoes. Peel and cut potatoes into quarters. Get out the sour cream and butter, so it becomes room temperature. Figure 2 -3 potatoes per person. Boil peeled potatoes for 20 minutes or more, until a potato pierced with a fork falls apart. Drain and put into mixer bowl. Heat up sour cream (1/2 cup or so depending upon how many potatoes) and butter (1/2 or 1 whole stick) so that the ingredients are room temperature or warmer, or else the mashed potatoes will be lumpy. Add the sour cream and butter (and salt and pepper); beat on high. Serve! GRAVY The trick with gravy is that the temperature should not change as you add the thickening agent, so remember that as you make gravy from scratch. Prepare 1 or 2 cups of broth, using bullion is fine. You may not use it all but have it ready. Get the cornstarch (or flour) out so it's readily available. Have all this ready because once you start making the gravy, it needs attention to turn out right. Start off with the fat and junk at the bottom of the pan you just cooked your meat in...turkey, chicken, beef, or pork. I often put the pan right on a burner, carefully adjusting so the contents heat without burning. Keep this gently boiling while you add the cornstarch...drizzle it in so the temperature doesn’t change, and use a fork to continually mix it into the stuff on the bottom of the pan. Keep the fork moving constantly. You should create a thick hot mess. Slowly add some of the broth until you have a gravy consistency. Very hard to make, so I always keep canned gravy on hand!

18: Justin is hard at work on the Strawberry Jam Assembly Line! | Jam ingredients must be carefully measured!

19: Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 | Sheri Lynn Essian | Strawberry Jam | GO PICK STRAWBERRIES and talk and laugh! Then get all your equipment, jars, rings, lids and ingredients out. Sterilize jars. Put lids and rings into pan with water on warm burner. Measure sugar ahead of time. Follow recipe in Sure Gel box, except no need to put jars in water bath. Ensure seal is good by turning filled jar upside down for 5 minutes, then turn over. You should hear a pop that the seal is final in a few minutes. We make an assembly line of cleaning and trimming and cutting berries, chop in food processor for 5 pulses, then cook and pack. Use a timer to time boil!

20: Mealtime prayer | I grew up saying this prayer: Come Lord Jesus Be our Guest, and Let this Meal to us Be Blessed. Amen | Marjorie (Ludwig) and James Essian June 22, 1946 | Sheri Lynn Takacs About 2nd grade | 1 Husband 1 Wife Children, 1 Bible per 1 Home Generous portion of Prayer 3 C. Love, firmly packed 1 box Hard Work | A HAPPY FAMILY | 1 pkg. Playing Together 1 pound Patience 1 can Understanding 100 doses Forgiveness 1 small Paddle 1 dz. Kisses | Mix thoroughly together and sprinkle with awareness. Bake in moderate oven, using as fuel all the grudges and past unpleasantness. Cool. Turn out onto platter of cheerfulness. Garnish with tears and laughter in large helping. Serve God and country and community. (From 1994 "Favorite Recipes of the Ministerial Wives" Cookbook)